Dying To Say This To You

The Sounds

Dying To Say This To You - Very Good, Based on 2 Critics

AllMusic - 90Based on rating 9/10

90

It can be said with as much certainty that any outside observer can have that the Sounds' sophomore effort, Dying to Say This to You, has achieved all of its goals and then some. The Swedish indie rock band by all appearances set out to make a fun, high-quality pop/rock record and they did so, brilliantly. This disc has been rendered with creativity and panache, and it features hooky songwriting so compelling that it's easy to listen to the mere 35 minutes of material (divided into 11 three-minute long, radio-friendly songs) on a continuous loop.

What fellow Swedes the Hives do for garage-rock, the Sounds do for the peppier end of new wave: counterfeit it with unapologetic efficiency and more charm than you might imagine. At times, the echoes of the Cars, the Go-Go's and post-Atomic Blondie become so evocative that some listeners may find themselves worrying about who to take to the prom. There's also something of the Killers' chintzy grandeur (producer Jeff Saltzman worked on Hot Fuss) and a pre-school appreciation for nagging melodies.